College rock was the alternative rock music played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream rock played on commercial radio stations.[1][2]

The CMJ New Music Report was a publication that reported on the scene that created a chart which measured popularity of artists played on college radio. The journal's charts were used by Rolling Stone magazine and other media.[7] In September 1988, Billboard introduced the Modern Rock Tracks chart which monitored airplay on modern rock and college radio stations. Several college rock artists were highly successful on the chart during its first few years in existence.

By the 1990s, the use of the term "college rock" for this style of music was largely replaced with the terms "alternative" and "indie rock". Many 1980s college radio music directors went on to have successful careers in the mainstream American music industry.[7]